RFI Browser

RFI # 31:
HL SEGMENT CONTENT

Submitter

Description

1 - How should the HL segment contents be evaluated semantically or syntactically? 2 - What transactions and coding should be used to report errors in the content of the HL segment?

Response

X12.6 defines the syntax of X12 Transaction Sets. X12.1 Transaction Set 997 Functional Acknowledgment reports on compliance with the syntax of a Functional Group of Transaction Sets. From an X12.6 perspective, and hence also from the perspective of X12 Transaction Set 997 Functional Acknowledgment, the two segments referenced in the formal request for interpretation lie outside the scope of X12.6. Hence, TS997 may only report on syntactic errors in constructing these two segments, not on semantic errors regarding their content.

Recommendation

Simple compliance with X12.6 syntax does not provide a guarantee that a Transaction Set is semantically complete and useful. In the cited examples, the transaction set instances are not valid X12 transaction set instances, as they violate semantic constraints imposed within the standard. Such semantic constraints are not restricted to the two referenced segments, but indeed occur elsewhere within the standard. 1 - How should the HL segment contents be evaluated semantically or syntactically? Both syntactic and semantic evaluation is essential to the processing of X12 transaction set instances. 2 - What transactions and coding should be used to report errors in the content of the HL segment? Transaction Set 997 Functional Acknowledgment may be used to report syntactic errors in the content of the HL segment. (e.g., a mandatory field is missing data) Transaction Set 824 Application Advice may be used to report semantic errors in the content of the HL segment. Additional constraints of an industry or application nature may also render a transaction set instance unusable, even though the instance may be wholly compliant with the X12 Standard.